Our Methodology

PlainWarranty compares 19 national home-warranty companies using only data that is public and independently verifiable. Every figure on the site traces back to one of the sources below, we do not invent numbers, and where a value is unavailable we leave it blank rather than estimate it.

Data Sources

  • Better Business Bureau (BBB): Each company's BBB business profile - letter rating, accreditation status, complaints closed in the last 3 years and 12 months, and the customer-review average and count. bbb.org
  • Trustpilot: Each company's TrustScore and review volume, where a profile exists. trustpilot.com
  • State Departments of Insurance & Attorneys General: Whether home warranties are regulated in each state, licensing requirements, the governing statute, and the official complaint-filing channel.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey: State population and homeownership rates, used for market context. census.gov
  • Company plan documents: Publicly available coverage summaries, service-fee schedules, and pricing pages, the basis of our coverage matrices.
  • FTC Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act: The federal law governing consumer warranties, cited for legal context only (not as a data source). ftc.gov

A note on what we do not use: home-warranty companies are not regulated by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), so the CFPB complaint database contains no home-warranty records. We therefore rely on the BBB and Trustpilot reputation signals above.

The Reliability Score

Each company receives a Reliability Score from 0 to 100 and a matching letter grade. The score is a transparent, reproducible blend of the three independent reputation signals we collect, weighted as follows:

  • BBB letter rating, 45%. Mapped to a 0–100 scale (A+ = 100, A = 93, B = 75, C = 55, D = 35, F = 10).
  • BBB customer-review average, 25%. The average star rating (0–5) scaled to 0–100. Counted only when a company has at least 5 reviews.
  • Trustpilot TrustScore, 30%. The TrustScore (0–5) scaled to 0–100. Counted only when a company has at least 5 reviews.

If a company is missing one of these signals, the remaining weights are re-normalized so the score still sums to 100% of available evidence. A company with no reputation signal at all receives no score (shown as "Not rated") rather than a guess. Letter grades band the score: A ≥ 85, B 70–84, C 55–69, D 40–54, F below 40.

We deliberately do not fold raw complaint counts into the score. A large national insurer naturally accumulates more BBB complaints than a small regional one simply by having more customers, so raw counts are not comparable across companies. We display each company's BBB complaint counts as a separate, clearly-labeled figure for context, never as the basis of the grade.

Coverage Matrices

Coverage matrices document what each plan covers, partially covers, or excludes, built from each company's published plan documents. We track major home systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, water heater) and appliances across each company's plan tiers, along with typical coverage limits and service-fee ranges. Repair-cost ranges shown on coverage pages are typical industry estimates for context, not company-specific quotes.

Coverage matrices may not reflect custom, negotiated, add-on, or state-specific plan variants. Always confirm current terms directly with the company before purchasing.

What PlainWarranty Is, and Is Not

PlainWarranty is an independent reference. We do not sell home warranties, accept paid placements or sponsored rankings, or earn affiliate commissions from any company listed. Rankings and scores are computed directly from the public data above, so they cannot be bought.

We surface aggregate review scores published by the BBB and Trustpilot; we do not host or solicit individual customer reviews of our own, and we store no personal data from any source.

How Pages Are Built

PlainWarranty's pages are generated programmatically from the public data described above. The data is collected from each source, normalized into a database, and rendered into company profiles, rankings, and state pages. We do not fabricate or fill in missing values, if a figure isn't available from the source, the page omits it. Corrections can be requested through the contact channels in the footer; if a company believes a figure attributed to it is wrong, we re-check it against the source and update or remove it.

Limitations

  • Reputation signals reflect the customers who chose to leave a BBB or Trustpilot review or file a BBB complaint, a self-selected subset, not every customer's experience.
  • Review counts vary widely between companies; a high average from a handful of reviews is less reliable than a slightly lower average from thousands.
  • BBB and Trustpilot figures are point-in-time snapshots and change at the source over time.
  • Coverage and pricing vary by state, plan tier, property age, and individual contract terms.

Important Disclaimer

This site is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal, financial, or insurance advice. Always read the full contract before purchasing a home warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does PlainWarranty's data come from?

Company reputation figures come from Better Business Bureau business profiles and Trustpilot. Regulation, licensing, and complaint-filing details come from state Departments of Insurance and Attorneys General. State population and homeownership come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Coverage matrices are built from each company's published plan documents. Home-warranty companies are not CFPB-regulated, so no CFPB complaint data is used.

How is the Reliability Score calculated?

It is a 0–100 blend of the BBB letter rating (45%), the BBB customer-review average (25%, minimum 5 reviews), and the Trustpilot TrustScore (30%, minimum 5 reviews). Missing signals re-normalize the weights; a company with no reputation signal is shown as "Not rated." Raw complaint counts are shown for context but are not part of the score, because they scale with company size.

How often is the data updated?

BBB profiles, Trustpilot scores, state filings, and plan documents change at the source at different cadences. PlainWarranty refreshes its database periodically. Because plans, fees, and coverage can change between refreshes, always verify current terms directly with the company before purchasing.

Is PlainWarranty legal advice?

No. PlainWarranty is informational only and is not a law firm, insurance agency, or warranty broker. For questions about your specific contract or dispute under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act or state law, consult a licensed attorney or your state attorney general's consumer protection office.